Singer Justin Bieber is facing a lawsuit after allegedly stealing vocal riffs from a lesser-known artist for his smash single, “Sorry.”
Indie artist, Casey Dienel, whose stage name is White Hinterland, filed a complaint in a Nashville District court on May 26, accusing Bieber of infringing her copyright to the song “Ring the Bell” by using a “virtually identical” riff without permission.
Producer Skrillex and record label Vivendi’s Universal Music Group are named in the lawsuit as well.
According to Dienel, Bieber’s “Sorry” adopted the “specific and unique characteristics of the female vocal riff” from her song. She claims Bieber sampled the riffs during the first eight seconds of his song and several times thereafter.
She also referenced a March 13 “New York Times Magazine” article titled “25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going,” where the distinct sound of the riffs were acknowledged, even praising Bieber’s song for its “cooing arpeggio that feels like a gentle breeze on your brain.” The song claimed the number one spot.
